$26.69M Library Bond Vote Passes Tuesday In Shirley

SHIRLEY, NY — After the votes were tallied, a Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community Library vote passed by a narrow margin Tuesday — 1,173 to 1,078.

"Thank you to all that voted," library board members said.

Residents turned out Tuesday to vote on a $26.69 million proposed bond for the full renovation and expansion of the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community Library's main library and the creation of two branch libraries for the community.

The library board will contribute $4 million of that cost from its reserve account.

Voting on the bond referendum took at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library, located at 407 William Floyd Parkway in Shirley.

According to Library Director Kerri Rosalia, the cost to residents is about $85 per year, or $7 per year for the average home assessed at $1,995, less than a proposed $144 proposed in 2017 for a prior bond; the current bond, after many community meetings, has been reduced to almost $11 million less than that Links proposal.

"Voters will have an exciting opportunity today to help our library district secure a strong, long-term future of service. If approved, the bond will finally help our library in several important ways," she said, including keeping up with increasing demand for library services coming from a growing population; providing modern, state of the art technologically advanced facilities for community residents; and providing convenient geographical access to library services throughout the community.

"I believe libraries are the heart and soul of a community," Rosalia said. "Our library needs to end constant over-crowding and meet the ever-surging demand for library services. The board of the library listened to your concerns about cost and is offering a cost–effective solution. This $22,690,964 referendum would raise average homeowners’ taxes by just $7 a month. . . I know our community deserves the same vital cultural and educational opportunities for all residents that only a public library can provide. It is my strong belief that if approved this project will significantly benefit our community. Please join me by going to the library and voting on the library bond referendum."

Proponents of the plan said the the new branches will assist in revitalizing the neighborhoods where they will be created and provide desperately needed upgrades; those in opposition to any tax increase say while upgrades are needed, a need does not exist for three library sites.

According to information provided online by the library, the reason for the bond is a need for space. "Since the library first opened in 1982, the population of our area has grown by 59 percent. When the building was expanded in 1995, the addition was limited by the size of the lot that had been donated to the library by the Serota family. The largest possible amount of space was added to the building. Even so, the expansion could not provide enough room for future growth. Since 1995, the population of our area has increased by another 17 percent. Furthermore, library service has changed and expanded in unforeseen ways," the page said.

An adequate amount of library space for a region of the library's size would be around 60,000 to 65,000 sq. feet; the current building is 45,000 sq. feet, the page said. "New York does not specify minimum square footage requirements but does state that the library must maintain “a facility to meet community needs, including adequate space, lighting, shelving, seating, and restrooms.”

Also an issue is the library's aging technology infrastructure, the page said.

The existing parking lot cannot be expanded, as suggested by some, library personnel said, because the lot is owned by a private company that is unwilling to sell. Therefore, the plan adds two satellite branches at either end of the community to expand space.

A previous bond, about $11 million higher, was voted down in 2017. But the need is dire, library officials said, to renovate now; asbestos abatement is also critically needed.

The library board also considered the bowling alley property across the street, commissioning a commercial appraisal that valued the property at $2 million, compared to the owner’s asking price of $3 to 4 million; the cost of demolishing the building, at about $400,00, would have to be added to the cost of the property — and a new library would needed to be built; the site also did not allow for green space. Also considered were the former Staples site on Montauk highway; that plan would have cost the library more than $1.27 million in rent yearly, an unsustainable option, the board said. Other sites considered were the King Kullen space in the shopping center, South Shore Auto Works, the Liberti Building Ormond Place, the former Manor House restaurant parcel the current Watami restaurant site, and building a smaller facility at the former Links golf course — something the community vetoed, the library board said.

After the failed 2018 bond vote, the library board returned to the 2012 plan of closing the main building in order to remove the asbestos and renovate. To do so, the library would have to operate out of rented space for 12 to 16 months. One of the possible rental spaces investigated was the old Mastic Beach Village Hall on Neighborhood Road; negotiations to rent the space turned into an opportunity to purchase the site, the board said.

"The board recognized that owning a material asset was a better investment for the community than paying rent to a landlord. The location would serve as temporary space during a main building closure for renovations while also possibly continuing as a permanent library annex space to expand services to the surrounding area," the board said.

The library secured the building for $820,000, the page added.

In addition, the Little Red Schoolhouse became a choice for a library annex; although it did not qualify for restoration grants, the library researched the feasibility of restoring the Little Red Schoolhouse to its former status without a knockdown and rebuild, the library said.

The cost to renovate and restore the LRS is estimated at $2 million, library officials said; library trustees are committed to spending $1 million, from operational savings, for the project.

Should the bond vote pass, the main library will remain at the current location at 407 William Floyd Parkway in Shirley; the Mastic Beach branch will be at 369 Neighborhood Road in Mastic Beach, at the former site of the Mastic Beach Village Hall, and the Moriches branch will be 7,000 square feet on Montauk Highway in Moriches, near the current site of the Little Red Schoolhouse.

According to the library board, a renovated main library will offer:

• ADA-compliant restrooms for public and staff
• Expanded meeting room spaces for more programs and community use
• Program rooms in each department
• Quiet reading areas
• Dedicated study rooms for individuals and groups
• Computer labs and makerspaces featuring technology, including 3D printers, virtual reality, and coding/robotics
• Updated indoor performance space with a full stage
• State-of-the-art technology infrastructure to support computer labs and high-speed internet
• Automated self-return/sorting of items to save costs
• Added and improved security cameras
• IP phones; new audio/video systems in meeting rooms; teleconference systems; assistive listening devices; charging stations for devices
• Expanded public seating in every department
• Lounge area to use laptops/charge devices
• Archival room for safe storage of important local history collections
• Space for book and media collections

The new main library will offer quiet space and more access to educational programs, a reconfiguration of the entrance and library, a repurposing of staff offices into meeting rooms, and installation of the latest HVAC systems, LED lighting, new windows and insulation, which will decrease the ongoing utilities cost to the main building significantly, the board said.